Licona and Pagels on the Gospel of Thomas

This episode examines the Gospel of Thomas, discovered in full in 1945, through an interview with Dr. Michael Licona and Dr. Elaine Pagels. Pagels, dating this work to the 80s or 90s AD, sees this text as a companion piece to be read alongside the three synoptics, which reveal secret teachings of Jesus shared only with his disciples, as referenced in Mark 4. She calls it a “missing link” in the formation of the gospel tradition. Licona disagrees, arguing that the Gospel of Thomas, which he dates to the early 2nd century AD, was excluded by the early church as an authoritative writing. It does not reflect Jesus’ teachings as revealed in the canonical gospels, discusses the resurrection through a pagan lens, and in some places contradicts Matthew, Mark, and Luke.